New catback
 

I've been digging through the buyers guide - but looking for some advice - the stock exhaust on my wife 06 Xb has rusted through at 65k and needs replacing. Midas quoted close to $1200 for a new system and labor - but the mechanic recommended I look for a stainless replacement.

Being my wifes car, I'm not really looking at performance replacements, or sound improvements - just looking for something quality that can be put on there to replace the stock crap.

Buddy.. buddy... listen... there is no way anyone quoted any exhaust situation at 1200. I'm sorry. And rust happens, very easy fix. Exhaust is nothing special what so ever. You actually don't need it, that's how useless it is. It's piping. That's it. 1200 for a pipe? No. You can grind off the rusted part and have them weld a new section on. That might run you $100-150. If the entire exhaust is rusted, then get a new exhaust, which might run you $300 or less and have them install it. They'll charge you about $100 to take the old one off and to put the new one on. So, at most you'll spend $400. Look... I saved you $800! I accept PayPal :)

Ya need to tell us what they consider a new system? Are they replacing exhaust manifold, cat converter, muffler? I would visit a another muffler place to get a quote to compare + find out what u really need to be replaced.

Good Luck

^+1 definitely find out if your whole system is rusted or just the midsection and axleback which is the most common spot.

From salted roads where I now live, the exhaust on my xB had all kinds of rust on it, and made a hole in my crappy 5Zigen axleback. I replaced it with the Magnaflow catback, which is all stainless from about 3 inches behind the cat all the way back.
The car definitely gained a bit from it, and is not louder than the 5Zigen at all. Cost was about $500, I did it myself in about an hour, and am extremely happy with it.
I don't know if this is the kind of feedback you were looking for from your post, but I hope it helps.

i don't think $1200 sounds so steep. i don't think you should settle for that high, but considering i've read people get on here, and say they've replaced the catalytic converter for $1200 bucks just the cat for $1200, and on true delta i saw that in one of the entries. as was already said you don't need an exhaust for the car to run. there are a lot of things our wonderful government enacted back in the 70s in the exhaust. some of them were for bs emissions reasons, and some of them were to limit gas fumes from killing you when idling in your car. i don't know how loud the xb is without an exhaust though. you definitely won't pass emissions either, so i'm not telling you to not replace it. not that i care about emissions, but unless you pay someone to ''pass'' you then you aren't getting inspected. then again maybe in your part of the state there are no emissions i don't know.


mine has almost 90k, and is ticking a little bit. it's not very loud, but it's got a tick to it behind the glove compartment. pretty sure it's the donut gasket or one of those gaskets behind the manifold. you can actually hear it better from in the car than you can when you pop the hood. you really have to put your head down there to hear it with the hood popped. i'm not the only one who has experienced this. my buddy who has one says he's got the same ____ happening. the kid who had it before me who was the second owner had it a few years, and lived a mile from the bay if not less. a lot of salt air there. a lot of salt on my roads, but i don't even think it's snowed since i've had the xb. it might have once, but i used my truck.